How to apply for Open work permit from within Canada

[woodennickle]

Hello,

My situation:
My girlfriend is from Korea. She moved here 12 months ago, and has lived with me for the entire time. We are currently gathering all of documents so I can sponsor her as common law. In the mean time she has applied for an extension of a tourist visa and still awaiting the response. This part seems fine.

She wants to apply for an open work permit at the same time. She has heard from her friends here that she can apply for both at the same time, from within Canada. I have been on the CIC website looking at the process and eligibility to apply for an open work permit, and everything says it is for when applying from outside of Canada.

My Question #1:
Can she apply for a working visa at the same time as applying for common law, from within Canada. And if yes, anyone know the correct website link to do so on CIC?

Question # 2:
Can she apply for these visas even though we have not received a response for the extension visa?

Question #3:
Can she apply for both of these visas at the same office? Therefore, needing only one copy of official documents from her home country...

Thanks so much for any help.

 

[viva-c]

Hey there, I didn't apply inland or do OWP myself, but I just wanted to let you know that the answer to question #1 is yes. You actually cannot apply for the OWP if you are applying outland, so I'm not sure where you were seeing that. You must apply inland to be able to apply for the OWP. I also know that your girlfriend must have legal status in Canada (i.e. she must be there on a valid tourist visa or temporary resident visa, not overstayed) in order to apply inland or get the OWP. That's as much as I know! Hopefully some other, more knowledgeable folks can chime in to answer your other questions.

http://www.canadavisa.com/inland-spousal-common-law-sponsorship-open-work-permit-pilot-program.html

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My Question #1:
Can she apply for a working visa at the same time as applying for common law, from within Canada. And if yes, anyone know the correct website link to do so on CIC?

Question # 2:
Can she apply for these visas even though we have not received a response for the extension visa?

Question #3:
Can she apply for both of these visas at the same office? Therefore, needing only one copy of official documents from her home country...

Hi

1. Yes, she can apply for an OWP if you submit an inland sponsorship app. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=679&top=17

2. Yes.

3. Yes, the OWP app should be included with the PR app.